Dali moustache
narrow, waxed, and pointing straight up
A Dali is a very narrow moustache with the ends waxed into thin points that rise almost vertically from the corners of the mouth. It is named after Salvador Dalí, who wore the most extreme version of it, and it is the most theatrical shape in this directory.
Nothing about it is subtle, and that is the point.
At a glance
- Also known as
- Nothing else in common use
- What it is
- Narrow, waxed and pointed straight up.
- Length
- Long, three inches and up
- Growing time
- 4 to 6 months or more
- Trim how often
- Every 1 to 2 days
- Best face shapes
- Any
- Moustache
- Yes
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The variations
The one shape, and how it is usually worn.
Will it suit your face?
Where a style puts weight, and where it takes it away, is what decides whether it suits you. The table below is the short version.
| Oval | Ideal | No shape to correct, so anything from a pencil to a handlebar sits well. |
|---|---|---|
| Round | Works | Go wider than the mouth rather than heavier, so it does not add bulk. |
| Square | Ideal | A strong jaw carries a heavy moustache without looking top-loaded. |
| Long | Ideal | Horizontal weight across the lip breaks up the length. |
| Heart | Works | Draws the eye down from a broad forehead. |
| Diamond | Works | Adds width across the middle of the face. |
How to cut one, in four steps
- Grow it out4 to 6 months or more. No trimming at all in that time, including the hairs hanging over your lip.
- Set the shapeComb it down and flat, then cut to your outline. Never cut it wet, it dries shorter than you cut it.
- Clear the lipTrim along the top lip line so it does not end up in your mouth. Scissors give more control than a trimmer here.
- Wax and trainWarm the wax between your fingers first, work it in from the centre out, then shape the ends.
Full detail, tools and the common mistakes are in the guide below.
What it is
Narrow throughout, with almost no bulk under the nose. The hair is grown long at the corners of the mouth and then waxed into two fine, upright points.
The distinguishing feature against every other trained moustache is thinness. An imperial is large with the ends swept up. A handlebar curls thick ends into loops. A Dali is a thin line with two spikes.
The face is otherwise clean-shaven.
What you are signing up for
Four to six months of growth, and often more. The points need real length, and the hair at the corners of the mouth is the slowest to arrive.
Daily styling, without exception. A Dali does not exist without wax. Left alone for a day it is a thin, straggly moustache and nothing else.
Being looked at. This is not a style anyone wears by accident. Expect to be asked about it, frequently and usually kindly.
It suits any face shape, because there is not enough mass to change proportions.
Growing it
Months one to three: grow everything and trim nothing but the lip line. Resist tidying the ends, which is exactly where the length you need is accumulating.
Months three onward: start training. Comb the hair outward from the centre daily while damp, then begin twisting the ends upward with a firm wax.
The points sharpen over weeks rather than appearing at once. Each day of training holds a little more angle than the last.
Styling it
A firm wax, warmed between your fingers first. Soft waxes will not hold a point.
Twist rather than comb the ends. Take a small section between finger and thumb and roll it to a point, then set the angle.
Keep the middle thin. The temptation is to let bulk build under the nose. Trim it back, because the contrast between a thin body and sharp points is the style.
Trim the lip line and nothing else.
Reset every morning. Sleep undoes it entirely.
Where it goes wrong
Cutting the ends. Months lost.
Letting the middle thicken. It stops reading as a Dali and starts reading as an unkempt handlebar.
Soft wax. It will not hold vertical points.
Expecting it to hold in rain or heat. It will not. Carry wax.
Other moustaches
Same shape, different length or moustache.
If this one is too much work
Same idea, less of your morning.
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